New York City Football Club II Goals: Myers 55'
Philadelphia Union II Goals: Rafanello 9', 18' (PK), Sanchez 84'
Quick Read
New York City Football Club suffered a 3-1 defeat against Philadelphia Union II on Sunday evening. The hosts took an early lead through Jeremy Rafanello in the ninth minute. He doubled Union II's advantage from the penalty spot ten minutes later. NYCFC II halved the deficit through Matt Myers in the 55th minute, before Luciano Sanchez added a third for the visitors.
Match Recap
NYCFC II was on the hunt for three points on Sunday as they entertained Philadelphia Union II at Belson Stadium.
Head Coach Matthew Pilkington made one change to the team that fell to Atlanta United 2 last time out, with Samuel Owusu coming into midfield in place of Maximo Carrizo.
The visitors wasted no time in trying to find the breakthrough, with Stefan Stojanovic testing Alexander Yagudayev after just three minutes.
The game's opening goal would not be far behind, with Philadelphia snatching the lead in the 9th minute after a corner was cleared to Jeremy Rafanello on the edge of the box and he fired it low and hard into the net.
NYCFC II were keen to restore parity, but their efforts were dealt a blow after they conceded a penalty in the 17th minute - Rio Hope-Gund the man adjudged to have committed the foul.
Rafanello stepped up and dispatched the kick to double Philly's advantage on the night.
As the half drew to a close Christian McFarlane found himself in space in the 39th minute, but his effort from inside the box missed the target.
NYCFC II finished the half the stronger of the two teams, with Alexander Hauschild and Jack Beer registering efforts from outside the area, but neither was able to find the net.
The second period saw a change from Pilkington, with John Denis replacing Ronny Arévalo.
Denis wasted no time getting involved in proceedings and was able to create a chance for Matt Myers in the 52nd minute, but his effort was saved.
Myers would not be denied three minutes later, however, after some brilliant hold-up play allowed Myers to play a one-two with Jack Beer before slotting it home inside the area.
NYCFC II almost found an equalizer in the 64th minute after Denis connected with a header from close range, but his effort was saved.
Pilkington would again turn to his bench in the 75th minute and introduce Stefan Bednarsky in place of McFarlane. As the game clock ticked toward the final ten minutes of regular time NYCFC II created a flurry of chances.
First, Denis produced an effort from distance that was well saved. Minutes later, Piero Elias engineered a similar attempt, but he was unable to find success.
Despite that sustained pressure, it would be the visitors that secured the fourth goal of the contest. A quick counter-attack saw Luciano Sanchez played in behind, and his calm finish reestablished Philly's two-goal lead.
Pilkington introduced a trio of changes in the 89th minute. On came Maximo Carrizo, Francesco Di Ponzio, and Julian Gomez in place of Jack Beer, Elias, and Drew Baiera.
Unfortunately, they could not spark a comeback and the game finished with victory for the Union II.
Match Highlights
How We Lined Up
What's Next
New York City Football Club II entertain Red Bulls II in the Hudson River Derby at MSU Soccer Park on Sunday, July 9, in a 7:00pm ET kick-off.
Watch live on AppleTV and follow our official @NYCFCII Twitter page for updates.
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